Well, the past month as seen the rivers in the local Bundaberg area fishing at their best, with some awesome catches being made. Big barra and king salmon (or threadfin) have been the most talked-about species. These fish are being found throughout the rivers and are holding up in some of the deeper holes, and in or near the rocks or snaggy structures. Live baits have caught some great fish with prawns and sprats being favourites, but it’s the lures that have been the standouts on the barra and threadys. A few lures to look out for are the Thready Busters, Tranzams and big blades such as the Deka Bokun 70’s, and colour doesn’t seem to matter much as they have all been catching fish.

Some mangrove jacks have started to show up around the rocky areas with the lures being the preferred method and the Rapala X-Rap Shads have been the best. There is a large amount of flathead about also, with most of them hanging around the river mouths as it’s breeding time. A lot of the big flatties have been over-sized and must be returned to the water as the maximum size for flathead is 75cm. Sprat have been the best bait, but the soft plastics are the standout. We have seen a run of whiting and dart along the local beaches. Worms and pippies have been best baits for these.

The bass have been on the chew out in the Isis Impoundment (Lake Gregory), where they seem to be schooled up out in the main basin of the dam. Jigging them up on Blades seems to be the best method.
Until next time, Tim Mulhall